


There Can be Two Winners

by Desdebrona



Category: IT (2017), IT - Stephen King
Genre: F/M, M/M, Reddie, Stenbrough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-06-28 12:49:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19812646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desdebrona/pseuds/Desdebrona
Summary: For the past year Stan’s been playing games with him and Bill is sick of it.  Or is he?  He can’t tell anymore.





	There Can be Two Winners

“You know looking back, IT really wasn’t that scary because unless it could have taken the form of my crippling depression and self-doubt, then I fear nothing” Bev boasted, taking a deep swig from a nearby water bottle. The boys all looked at her like she was crazy as she leaned back against a gnarled old tree, wiping a bit of sweat off her already slick forehead. 

“I think the heat’s getting to you, Ringwald” Richie quipped, only barely pushing himself up off the ground before flopping back down into the dirt. Beverly lightly kicked at his raised legs but Richie only groaned, not bothering to retaliate. 

“I think the heat’s getting to all of us” Bill said, fanning himself for emphasis. The rest of the group nodded along with him and Bev stood up, stretching her arms above her head. 

“Alright well then as much as I love you all I think you’re going to have to meet me at the quarry. If I stay in this sun any longer I think I’ll melt”. Bev grinned and raised her eyebrows at Ben who scrambled to his feet, taking her hand in his as the two of them headed off to the quarry. 

Bill looked after the two of them and smiled, he was glad that they could be happy together. Sure he and Bev had their own little stint after defeating It, but something about it never really clicked after the monster had been defeated and they decided it was best if they just remained friends. 

“Edddiiieeeeeeee” Richie groaned, snapping Bill out of his trance. Turning towards the commotion he saw that the taller boy had flopped into Eddie’s lap, grumbling something about how hot it was.

“Well laying on me isn’t going to make it any cooler” Eddie scoffed. He pushed Richie off of him with a grunt, but still left one hand resting lightly on the others back. 

Bill smirked and rolled his eyes at the two of them. Yet another paragon example of a relationship that worked, though he didn’t understand how on earth the two of them put up with each other. 

“Here I am!”

The group all snapped in the direction of the voice where they saw Mike sprinting towards them. The burlier boy skid to a halt in front of them and leaned an arm against the tree Beverly had previously been leaning against.

“Sorry one of our cows is sick and my dad really needed my help with her” he panted. Bill and Eddie slowly rose to their feel to join him while Richie sprung up off the ground with a newfound vigor.

“Fuckin’ finally!” he declared. “Didn’t you get the memo that it’s hot as balls out here Hanlon?”

Mike rolled his eyes at his friend but Richie didn’t stick around long enough to see it, as he was already speeding off towards the quarry with a reluctant Eddie running after him. Mike began to walk after the pair, but stopped when he saw Bill wasn’t following suit. 

“You coming man?” he asked. Bill nodded, eyes trained on a point in the distance.

“I’m just g-going to go get Stan”

Mike clapped a hand on his friend’s back before lightly jogging after Richie and Eddie, both of which were barely visible in the distance. 

**

Stan was standing on a large rock and scanning the nearby treeline for something, binoculars in one hand and bird book in the other. 

Bill watched as Stan’s eyes landed on something and he froze. The curly haired boy stared for a few more seconds before turning to reference his book, flipping rapidly through the pages before finding what he wanted. 

A smile spread across Stan’s face as he turned his attention back to the trees and Bill tried to block out exactly how cute the other boy looked with that smile. 

“H…hey Stan!” The young Uris’ head snapped towards his friend and Stan hopped off of the rock.

“Everyone’s headed to the quarry.” Bill informed as the pair began to stroll casually down the beaten dirt path.

“Finally. I thought I was going to have a heat stroke out here” Stan said, tugging at his shirt collar. 

“Don’t let Eddie hear you say that.” 

The two laughed and Bill nervously ran a hand through his hair. He loved Stan’s laugh, even if he didn’t get to hear it as much as he would like. 

“Here, don’t go fainting on me” Bill passed over his water bottle and Stan quickly made sure it hadn’t yet been opened before downing nearly the entire thing. Bill eyes his almost empty water bottle and frowned. Stan glanced over and smirked at his friend before downing the rest and handing the bottle back. 

“N-n-not cool Uris” Bill joked as he accepted his now empty drink container. As he gripped the bottle, Stan’s fingers brushed against Bill’s, and the shorter boy instinctively yanked his hand away. Glancing in the other boy’s direction Bill saw Stan biting his lip and looking in the opposite direction. Suddenly Stan’s hand knocked against his, this time with a little more force. Bill tossed his water bottle to his other hand and tentatively moved closer to Stan. 

For the third time Stan’s hand came towards Bill’s, and this time it stuck. Stan momentarily laced their pinkies together before before the two intertwined their fingers completely, gently swinging their hands between them. The heat in Bill’s cheeks felt like it was even hotter than outside and he could have sworn his face was about to melt off.

It had been like this between the two of them for a while. Spontaneously holding hands mid-walk, heads leaning gently on shoulders during movie nights, shy cuddling in bed during a sleepover. 

Despite now being older and understanding what it meant to have a relationship, neither boy was really sure of the other, and thus the strange new relationship that they had carved out of their years together. 

Bill gripped Stan’s hand tighter as they neared the quarry, not wanting to let go. He didn’t know what any of this meant or why they kept doing it, but he did know that he never wanted it to stop. He stole a quick glance at Stan who’s eyes were trained on the path ahead of them, face completely unreadable. 

Stan’s eyes flicked towards him but when their gazes met, the two looked away from each other as fast as possible, BIll’s mind racing a million miles a minute. He was happy on the outside but deep down he was seething, he wished Stan would stop playing these games with him and just say something. 

“Wow look who finally decided to show up!” 

Richies voice rang clear through the air as Bill and Stan approached the edge of the quarry. Stan began to draw his hand away, but not before he caught Bill’s in a gentle squeeze that sent the stuttering boy’s heart aflutter. 

“Why aren’t you in the w…water yet?” Bill questioned. Richie rolled his eyes at him.

“I had to take time to change. This doesn’t just happen you know” he jabbed, backing up towards the quarry’s edge and gesturing to his swim trunk-clad form. 

“Actually he was just waiting for me” came Eddie’s voice as he stepped out from behind some bushes, old clothes in hand. Richie gawked at him for a second.

“Dude that’s lame, now I just sound like a sap” Richie said. Eddie rolled his eyes and smirked at his boyfriend.

“What so I’m not cool enough to wait for?” he countered, stepping up so he was face to face with Richie. The taller boy smirked at him. 

“No of course not” he teased , running a hand along Eddie’s arm. The two were lost in their own little world as Eddie gently wrapped his arms around his boyfriends waist. Richie teased at Eddie’s hair as Bill and Stan were forced to watch the pair ardently kiss. No matter how old they got, it was still really weird for the rest of the Losers to see them do that. From down below Bill could have sworn he heard Mike whistle. 

“Could you do that l-literally anywhere else but here?” Bill half joked. Richie raised his eyebrows at him.

“Hey you’re just jealous because I’m getting some of this”. Richie slung his arm around Eddie’s waist and pulled him closer. “And you’re al-“

Richie was cut off as a pair of arms shoved him off the cliff and into the water below, Eddie tumbling down after him. Stan had an amused look on his face as he and Bill peered over the cliff where Richie and Eddie were shouting at them from below. 

“Didn’t think you could be so mischievous” Bill teased. Stan smiled at him.

“I’m a man of many secrets. Now come on I want to get in” 

“Ok let me just get—“

Bill’s words turned into a sharp yell as Stan grabbed his hand and jumped, pulling Bill off the cliff with him. The two hit the water below with a satisfying splash. They rose and Stan kept his hand intertwined with Bill’s, even when Richie came swimming up to them.

“Not cool Uris!” he said, lightly splashing Stan. Stan and Bill both laughed at him and the Losers all continued on their merry way. They laughed, they swam, they splashed around, they lounged in the water. Richie eventually started a dunking contest, but Bill and Stan both sat out, stealing away to another part of the lake. They watched Richie and Bev heatedly fighting to push the other under the waves for a few moments before Bill had an idea. 

“You want to see who can hold their breath l-longer?” he asked. Stan smiled at him and nodded.

On the count of three, the boys submerged themselves under the water. After a moment Bill pried his eyes open and somehow managed to keep them that way, despite the invading sting of the water. Stan’s eyes popped open only moments after and the two smiled at each other, bubbles escaping from Bill’s mouth. 

They stayed like that for a while, pumping their arms to stay under and refusing to give in. Stan lightly jabbed at Bill in an attempt to sabotage him, but Bill quickly swatted him away. They poked at each other and Stan grabbed Bill’s shoulders, Bill reciprocating the motion. They pushed back against each other and gazes unyielding, until Stan suddenly stopped. Bill was confused for a moment but didn’t even have time to process the situation before Stan was rushing towards him and slamming his lips against Bill’s. 

The stuttering boy’s mind exploded in sparks of confusion and excitement, but those feelings quickly faded as a hot ball of frustration expanded from his core. He roughly shoved Stan away and the two reappeared on the surface, the water violently rippling around them.

“What the f…fuck Stan!” 

“I’m sorry thought you were ok with it!” Stan apologized. He edged a little closer to Bill but the young Denbrough pushed away. 

“That’s not the point you idiot! I’m s-sick of you playing these g-g-games with me!” 

“What are you talking about?”. Stan’s words showed genuine concern, but the light in his eyes betrayed him. 

“You hold my hand, you cuddle me, you just come up and run your hands all over me without saying a word and then pretend like it never happened. And now you k-kiss me and I don’t know what to think. I’m tired of it! Either tell me how you really feel or leave me the hell alone!” Bill screamed. 

The other losers were staring at them, mixes of confusion and general anger in their eyes. Bill swam away, elbowing past Eddie and walked back out of the quarry as fast as he could, sopping wet clothes leaving a dark trail behind him. 

He threw one last glance back to see that the rest of the group had cornered Stan before ripping his eyes away and running. He wasn’t sure if the liquid dripping off of his cheeks was water or tears but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything anymore.

***  
Bill’s clothes hung heavy on his back as he trudged down the street towards his house. None of the other Losers had dared to follow him. His feet left dark, splotchy footprints on the pavement and Bill mentally kicked himself for forgetting Silver at their meeting place. 

Bill slammed the door to the house shut with a little more force than usual, even though he knew it would bring some very unwanted attention.

“Bill is that you?”

“Y-yeah mom”

She hadn’t bothered to show herself but Bill could tell she was in the living room. Sloshing up the stairs he made sure to avoid his dad’s greetings before shutting himself in his room. Bill’s hands started to shake as he changed clothes and he sat back against his bed, letting out a ragged sigh. He didn’t want to cry, but his eyes felt hot and his throat felt like it was trying to escape from his body. He roughly wiped his eyes and stood, intending to go write by himself and shut Stan out of his mind, but the doorbell seemed to have other plans for him.

Bill thumped down the stairs as his mother called to him, not bothering to respond. Sighing he opened it to reveal one Stanley Uris, looking sheepish and holding Silver by his side.

“I brought your bike back”

Bill was tempted to shut the door on his face, but Stan quickly put a hand on it as if he could sense what the other boy was thinking.

“What do you want Stan?” Bill glowered. Stan took a step forward but Bill moved away.

“I’m sorry”

“So am I”

“Bill come on”. Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. “Don’t do this to me please”

“If you don’t have anything to say then just leave” Bill said. He moved to put his hand on the door but Stan stopped him once again. 

“Wait wait! Look I just- I’m sorry ok?” Stan huffed. Bill raised an eyebrow at him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner, you didn’t deserve to be toyed with like that, but I’m here now telling you that I really do like you and I shouldn’t have done those things”. Stan’s voice had softened and his lip quivered slightly, but he hid it well. 

“W...why didn’t you say something before then?” Bill’s voice became more gentle as he became unsure of how to act. A moment ago he had been furious, ready to throw Stan out and never talk to him again, but now he couldn’t suppress the overwhelming joy that was bubbling up in his stomach now that Stan had finally come to admit his feelings.

“Please listen to me when I say hurting your feelings was the last thing that I wanted. I just- I didn’t know what else to do. I was afraid that you might back away if I said something”. Stan’s voice was becoming steadily more pleading as he poured his heart out to the boy across from him.

Bill bit his lip- he didn’t know what to say. To be fair he also hadn’t said anything to Stan in fear of how the other boy would react.

“I get it, I fucked up, and I understand if now you think I’m weird and don’t want to talk to me anymore. I just didn’t want to let you think I did all that to hurt you because I didn’t. You’re special to me and I want you to be happy”. Stan admit. With a sigh, Stan hung his head and turned to leave.

“Wait!”

Stan turned back, eyes hopeful, as Bill stepped outside to meet him. He opened his mouth to say something but stopped when Bill’s lithe arms wrapped around his waist. 

“You’re special to me too” he said, pushing back a little to meet Stan’s eyes. “I d-don’t want you to leave me”. 

Stan smiled and pulled Bill back into the hug, both boys holding onto each other as if it were the last thing they would do. Bill laid his head on Stan’s shoulder and pressed his face into the taller boys neck, while Stan rested his cheek on the top of Bill’s head. His hands ran up Bill’s back, attempting to pull him even closer than he was. They stayed like that longer than either of them could keep count, and neither one even caring.

As comfortable as had been, Bill pushed away and pulled Stan’s head down to him, pressing their foreheads together. Stan smiled and gently rubbed their noses together, Bill letting out a quick laugh.

“So are we ok?” Stan asked. Bill nodded.

“You’re forgiven”. Bill said. Stan laughed a little.

“Hey there you are!”

Richies voice rang clear through the neighborhood as the other Losers approached from the end of the street. 

Stan and Bill went to meet them and Stan took Bill’s hand, first knocking against it as if to ask permission. Walking into view of their friends Stan squeezed Bill’s hand and Bill squeezed right back.

And this time, neither of them let go.

**Author's Note:**

> The thing Bev says at the beginning is actually a quote from yours truly so y'all better appreciate it. Thanks for reading!


End file.
